By Olivia Gans Turner, President, Virginia Society for Human Life
During the 2023 General Assembly Session Del. Phil Scott (R) successfully carried a bill to designate the month of March as Trisomy Awareness Month and opened the door to advocating even more for the needs of families and individuals who are experiencing the effects of a Trisomy disorder.
Trisomy is a chromosome disorder that leads to several conditions. Many are aware of Down syndrome but there are others, including Edward Syndrome and Patau Syndrome each of which present different health issues for the child and his or her family.
Earlier this month Delegate Scott and Governor Youngkin joined families with a member who has a Trisomy disorder at the Capital to celebrate the resolution passed by the General Assembly in February.
Delegate Scott is dedicated to this very pro-life cause because of his experience with his own daughter who has Edward’s Syndrome (Trisomy 18). He has spoken passionately on many occasions about the importance of respecting the lives of babies diagnosed with one of these conditions before or after birth. He is a tireless advocate for the need to protect their right to life and society’s obligation to do more to provide support to families who receive these diagnoses. Thank you, Sir.
You can watch Delegate Scott’s moving floor speech about the resolution here.
You can read a story here that ran in the Richmond Times Dispatch about the event.